Abstract
Background Humanitarian aid workers are likely to be exposed or witness complex emergencies. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most widespread and most commonly studied mental health problems after exposure to adversities and trauma. However, face-to-face treatment has limited utilization in the resource-constrained settings where humanitarian aid workers often operate. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) is a treatment option with the potential to improve the access to evidence-based care for humanitarian aid workers. Until now, only a few studies have evaluated iCBT in the treatment of PTSD. No studies have yet explored the feasibility of iCBT for humanitarian aid workers with PTSD. The aim of this study is to investigate the participants' experiences and progress with the treatment, in order to determine whether TELLUS is acceptable for humanitarian aid workers. Methods and design A pilot feasibility study will be conducted with 20 humanitarian aid workers with a full or subclinical PTSD diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria. The intervention used is TELLUS, which is a therapist-assisted Internet-delivered treatment program based on trauma-focused CBT components for individuals with PTSD. It contains eight text-based modules, where each module is expected to be completed within one week. Discussion This study may set the ground for a large-scale randomized control trial that would test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the program. The study may contribute to the better understanding of PTSD treatment and increase the availability of evidence-based treatments in resource-constrained settings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23-28 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Internet Interventions |
| Volume | 10 |
| Early online date | 20 Sep 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2017 |
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Keywords
- CBT
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Humanitarian aid workers
- Internet
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- PTSD
Cite this
}
Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in international humanitarian aid workers : Study protocol. / Kunovski, Ivo; Donker, Tara; Driessen, Ellen; Cuijpers, Pim; Andersson, Gerhard; Sijbrandij, Marit.
In: Internet Interventions, Vol. 10, 12.2017, p. 23-28.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in international humanitarian aid workers
T2 - Study protocol
AU - Kunovski, Ivo
AU - Donker, Tara
AU - Driessen, Ellen
AU - Cuijpers, Pim
AU - Andersson, Gerhard
AU - Sijbrandij, Marit
PY - 2017/12
Y1 - 2017/12
N2 - Background Humanitarian aid workers are likely to be exposed or witness complex emergencies. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most widespread and most commonly studied mental health problems after exposure to adversities and trauma. However, face-to-face treatment has limited utilization in the resource-constrained settings where humanitarian aid workers often operate. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) is a treatment option with the potential to improve the access to evidence-based care for humanitarian aid workers. Until now, only a few studies have evaluated iCBT in the treatment of PTSD. No studies have yet explored the feasibility of iCBT for humanitarian aid workers with PTSD. The aim of this study is to investigate the participants' experiences and progress with the treatment, in order to determine whether TELLUS is acceptable for humanitarian aid workers. Methods and design A pilot feasibility study will be conducted with 20 humanitarian aid workers with a full or subclinical PTSD diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria. The intervention used is TELLUS, which is a therapist-assisted Internet-delivered treatment program based on trauma-focused CBT components for individuals with PTSD. It contains eight text-based modules, where each module is expected to be completed within one week. Discussion This study may set the ground for a large-scale randomized control trial that would test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the program. The study may contribute to the better understanding of PTSD treatment and increase the availability of evidence-based treatments in resource-constrained settings.
AB - Background Humanitarian aid workers are likely to be exposed or witness complex emergencies. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most widespread and most commonly studied mental health problems after exposure to adversities and trauma. However, face-to-face treatment has limited utilization in the resource-constrained settings where humanitarian aid workers often operate. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) is a treatment option with the potential to improve the access to evidence-based care for humanitarian aid workers. Until now, only a few studies have evaluated iCBT in the treatment of PTSD. No studies have yet explored the feasibility of iCBT for humanitarian aid workers with PTSD. The aim of this study is to investigate the participants' experiences and progress with the treatment, in order to determine whether TELLUS is acceptable for humanitarian aid workers. Methods and design A pilot feasibility study will be conducted with 20 humanitarian aid workers with a full or subclinical PTSD diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria. The intervention used is TELLUS, which is a therapist-assisted Internet-delivered treatment program based on trauma-focused CBT components for individuals with PTSD. It contains eight text-based modules, where each module is expected to be completed within one week. Discussion This study may set the ground for a large-scale randomized control trial that would test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the program. The study may contribute to the better understanding of PTSD treatment and increase the availability of evidence-based treatments in resource-constrained settings.
KW - CBT
KW - Cognitive behavioral therapy
KW - Humanitarian aid workers
KW - Internet
KW - Posttraumatic stress disorder
KW - PTSD
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029886124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85029886124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.invent.2017.09.002
DO - 10.1016/j.invent.2017.09.002
M3 - Article
VL - 10
SP - 23
EP - 28
JO - Internet Interventions
JF - Internet Interventions
SN - 2214-7829
ER -